How much can a wheel improve your times?

[tho]

I'm considering on buying a wheel and I can get around the Nurburgring in under 5'40 with a bentley speed 8, but how much more time could I potentially shave off with a wheel and some practice?

 

[prodrive GTR]

About .030 per turn..............nah just kidding!,depends on the quality and driving comfort/position.

 

[Midnight Snacks]

I've just started with my wheel and I'm still at least two seconds behind my DS3 times.

 

[jonny_goddard]

I've just started with my wheel and I'm still at least two seconds behind my DS3 times.

Give it time, it'll start to feel much more natural.

Although I still can't control those spontaneous, unwanted drifts with a wheel like i can with a DS3

 

[smiggyRT]

I find it depends on the car, the more powerful race cars are easier with the wheel to set fast times.

 

[LanciaAWD]

About .030 per turn..............nah just kidding!,depends on the quality and driving comfort/position.

👍 I strongly agree with comfort/position when using the wheel. It is so much more relaxing and you will perform much better.

 

[Phoenix]

I find it alot easier to drive with a wheel once you get used to it....

Going back to a DS3 or a controller generally in racing games is just not gonna happen

 

[Stigsblkcousin]

Give it time, it'll start to feel much more natural.

Although I still can't control those spontaneous, unwanted drifts with a wheel like i can with a DS3

Thats because with the DS3, you don't have to fight force feedback and you have auto-center(aka just letting go of the analog stick). That is one place the DS3 has an advantage.

 

[Derrict]

Based upon equal factors in my car tuning (same track, same car PP/setup), I knocked off ~ 3% off my lap times after 3 weeks of using a G27. The first two weeks are tough to adjust the driving style along with re-tuning the vehicles but once you get the hang of it, the times should drop dramatically.

 

[dening80]

Nailing even a 5:40 with a wheel is going to be more physically and mentally exerting.

But to get satisfaction out of every corner in the game...buy a wheel, you won't regret it.

 

[PAWEL17]

For me, it is about .5 to 1 second, the reason being, i can take corners and shift gears better. Its not a huge improvement, but its fairly good.

 

[jv38]

A wheel may or may not improve your time... I think it depends with the DS3. There are things that you will do quicker with the DS3. To me the point of having a wheel is that the overall feeling of driving seems more real. I can't use the DS3 to drive in Gran Turismo even if my life depend on it... I just addicted to my wheel...

 

[Alfabob46]

I own a G25 wheel and spend some time playing with a controller also
You should be able to go as fast with the wheel as you can with a controller because it's you driving the car and it will only go as fast as you can.
Your perfect lap with a wheel will be about the same time as with the controller it's YOUR lap time !
When your able to drive the car and get it to react how you want the laps should be about the same.
The big difference I have is that I can do a 10 lap stint with each lap within a couple of tenths with a wheel but with a controller the spread is more like a couple of seconds.
It is a lot easier to drive FAST with a wheel but it can be a lot harder to drift.
I hope this makes sense!

 

[ChevyMikeGT]

I have a G27 and DFGT, and I am more than 20sec faster.... Only reason is due to I NEVER play any racing games any more with my ds3 or any controller but a wheel ...at least cents gt2 days! So usually it should be about the same lap times unless your like me and can't play with the ds3....lol

 

[Stigsblkcousin]

Going from the DS3 to a wheel is like going from dial-up to broadband...ain't no going back.

 

[trk29]

Going from the DS3 to a wheel is like going from dial-up to broadband...ain't no going back.

👍
The only time I use my DS3 is when I am navigating menus and buying and tuning cars.

 

[Paul2448]

I got my DFGT when GT5 came out, so I don't know an exact number for how much faster I am with it then without for GT5. I do know that I went from GT3/4 from barely getting Bronze medals in the license to getting all Gold/Silver for GT5. Also, it makes endurances race a lot easier by letting you relax a bit more then you can with a controller.

 

[FishHunters]

Wheel! Yes, you are really good with a DS3 but the wheel, it's more natural and once you get the hang of shifting in manual and learn to maintain your RPM through turns you'll defintely drop your times.

 

[darkblade986]

You'll probably be looking at a 3-5% improvement once you get over that initial learning curve. Start with Daytona to get a feel for the movements - using the throttle, how much you really need to turn, how force feedback comes through the wheel, etc.

You'll definitely not regret getting a wheel, but I must say that if possible, you might want to hold off and try saving up more money for the T500RS. When you start getting to higher level cars (ESPECIALLY the X1), a wheel with any amount of a force-feedback dead zone will be a pain to control due to a minor issue with centering. If you can't, then by all means, a DFGT or a G-TwentyX will do as well.

Starting at Nurburging, and in a high-powered car like that is just asking for issues. There's no problem with using a car that turns well to get used to the wheel, but you should probably start with something that doesn't run away on the straights either to help you get a feel for the corners. I'd almost suggest using a Cappucino RM or something like that, as it has an insane amount of corner grip for such little HP.

 

[Rdp616]

I have a fanatec GT3rs, with the club sport pedals, and il admit it took awhile to get used to it. But now that i'm comfortable with it, i've knocked of a considerable amount of time around numerous tracks. Tho Drifting is still nearly impossible with out an e-brake and shifter right now.

 

[kweiss]

Once you get used to it, there's a noticeable advantage. Most notably in throttle/brake control and precision in the lines. Drifting and controlling slides is harder (more realistic) though.

To take this question a step further, how much can a good wheel improve your times? I'm still using the first Driving Force Pro from GT4, but am considering moving up.

 

[OutlawQuadrnt]

It comes down on how well someone was doing with a DS3 in the first place. I considered myself a very proficient DS3 driver with GT4 and it took about 2-3 months in order to match my DS3 times back in GT5 Prologue. I will note that a wheel will likely improve consistency and it should make racing side-by-side a lot easier to manage. More importantly, using a wheel simply makes the driving experience more rewarding in the end.

My suggestion to anyone doing the switchover is to go through all the license tests first.

To take this question a step further, how much can a good wheel improve your times? I'm still using the first Driving Force Pro from GT4, but am considering moving up.

I have the same wheel so I would be interested to know as well. My understanding is that the bigger improvement by moving up is the pedals rather than the wheel.

Additionally, my setup can be described as wobbly and uncomfortable at best. It's a foregone conclusion I'll be upgrading here as well but I wonder if I'll gain any time by doing so.

 

[Aqua F1]

Steering wheels are a lot more fun to use. I rarely get bored with them when they jerk about! Makes doing races like Tuskaba endurance so much easier

 

[HKS racer]

I've just started with my wheel and I'm still at least two seconds behind my DS3 times.

Well I have a wheel from 1 year now and I almost forgot how to play GT5 with a pad, I tested my times the other days and I'm 5 seconds faster with a wheel. I'm not a complete pad noob, because I play Ferrari The Race Experience with it.

 

[davelis]

Thats because with the DS3, you don't have to fight force feedback and you have auto-center(aka just letting go of the analog stick). That is one place the DS3 has an advantage.

my Thrustmaster Ferrari 3in1 Gt wheel only turns 90 degrees to each direction and there is no force feedback on GT5.
I if let off the wheel,it returns to the center
I recently started drifting using the wheel,and it is not as hard as i thought it would be.

Still need to get a proper wheel tho

 

[Jose']

I do not know if I am faster, but there is no doubt it is absolutely more fun. The pedals seems to make me more stable at turns although it is trickier to make clean laps.

 

[Fred la Poignee]

Usually I can do better with the wheel (DFGT), especially with the X2010, but I do not use it often (not "girl approved" in the living room :-) ) so I crash and lose control much more easily than with the DS3. When starting to lose control with the DS3 I can usually get control back, but with the wheel it is disastrous, complete crash and 15 sec. lost

 

[Vend1go]

U have to practice , when u are used to a wheel , your times will be really better